Our Snowmaggedon Pictures

Here in Atlanta, as everyone is probably aware, we experienced what is being called "Snowmaggedon" or "Snowpocalypse" or "a big 'ole fat winter mess".  Thank goodness, I can report that our family was spared many of the horrible stories that we saw on the news.  James was in DC and I work from home, so neither of us were on the road.  JB's Gia was a lifesaver and came to stay with us, which meant the Nanny got home safely while I still had help during the day.

The news shows the terrible traffic pictures, so let me show you some of my lovely neighborhood pictures.  Yes, snow is a major pain in the A here in Atlanta, but it sure does make for a beautiful setting once you get home and are stuck in the house.  

 

Actually, take that back, there was one person impacted in our family:  Enda.  She's suffering from major cabin fever.  While it was actually snowing, she was a little hesitant as to what it was and if she was okay with it.

By the evening, she had decided it was FUN and YUMMY.

The next day, she couldn't get enough of it.  She didn't understand why her parents weren't outside with her every minute of the day to play in this white stuff. She had a blast.

I let little James Benjamin enjoy about 10 seconds of the snow.  Since we tend to receive dumps of snow/ice/mass chaos about every 3 years, little toddler JB should have a blast the next storm that comes around.

Please stay warm and safe out there!  Since Sunday is Groundhog Day, let's all collectively hope that the little booger sees his shadow. Or do we want him to not see his shadow?  Whatever outcome results in an early Spring - that's the one we want!!! 

Enda - Two Years Old!

Enda is TWO YEARS OLD!

It's hard to imagine that our little furbaby is two years old (or 14 years old, in her adjusted dog age). I guess this means she is now a dramatic teenage girl, and...yeah, that sounds about right.  She's definitely out of the toddler stage, but not yet behaving like a rationale adult.  Totally a teenager!

Guilty as Charged!

I would not say that Enda is "jealous" of JB, but she definitely tries to vie for her parents' attention now that she has to share us.  Just in case she reads the blog one day and says "HEY, why don't my parents document such detailed updates on me like they do the human baby!?", I decided it was about time that Enda had her own update.

Why is HE in MY birthday photo shoot, Mom?

So, here ya go - Enda's Two Year Update!

Enda's Measurements:

• Weight: 50lbs (like 90th percentile for a female, and overweight according to her vet)

At 2 years old, Enda...

...Eats her dog food only if we mix it up with yogurt.  What started as a way to control her toxic gas now means that meal preparation is more than just scooping dry food into a bowl.  She also loves peanut butter, pureed pumpkin, boiled peanuts, carrots, and whatever else the humans are eating.  The vet says she needs to lose 5 pounds, but she'd rather be pudgy and happy.  

...Sleeps under the covers in our bed.  Vizslas are burrowers.  And if you let them in the bed just one time, you better be prepared to sleep while spooning a 50lb red dog for the rest of his/her life.  This year, she has also decided that she loves to sleep in her crate during the day.  This would have been great when she was a puppy, but is a real pain in the A now that we want to move that ugly thing out of our living room.  

...Loves stalking squirrels; being with her family; cuddling with her dad on the couch; chasing her dog friends OR (even better) being chased by her dog friends; doggie daycare; having her hips scratched; sniffing dog OR human bottoms; the hair dryer; lounging by the fire; kissing her brother (on the lips); her Gia; her Wubba toy; riding in the car; and her kitty sisters ("why won't they play with me!?")

...Does not love getting her nails trimmed; portion control; being ignored; when toys get stuck under the couch; intact plush toys ("they must be destroyed"); closed bathroom doors; walking when it's early or cold; pottying in the rain; and the feral cats who pee on her front porch.

...Has mixed emotions about baths; playing fetch; half marathon training with mom; and the neighbor kids on the other side of the fence ("are they friends or foes??")

Raising a vizsla from a puppy is not for the faint of heart. Honestly, I am still debating whether Enda's "newborn" days or JB's newborn days were harder. (It's a toss up!)  When people ask if we'll get another vizsla, James and I both shake our head, nervously laugh, groan, and then say...UGH, we say YES, because Enda is just the BEST DOG.  Even though she's totally crazy and completely high maintenance and drives us up the walls most of the time, she is the most loving, affectionate, intelligent dog that we've both ever met.  

Although I totally know she's a dog, she really seems much more human than canine.  I know the fact I just wrote that out loud makes me a little nut-so, but she has such a strong personality and spirit that she'll never be "just a dog" or "just a pet" to us.  She is 100% part of this family.  Crazy and all.  

Happy 2nd Birthday, Enda!  We look forward to many more years of you being crazy, because our family would not be the same without you!

Happy Birthday to my Furry Sister!

Schedules and Sleeping and Swaddles - Oh My!

This post is all about documenting some of my current parenting struggles/dilemmas while trying not to sound like I'm complaining or a total Type A lunatic parent.  Please bear with me if I start to trend towards either of those things - I promise it's not my intention!  Hopefully I'll look back on this later and laugh about how silly I was as a first time parent - so many things to needlessly stress about.

Let's start with schedules.  Before we actually had little James Benjamin, I was all committed to the schedules. I read and re-read Babywise, got James on the BW bandwagon, mixed in a little Secrets of the Baby Whisper (E.A.S.Y schedules, alright!), and totally bought in to the benefits of driving towards healthy, solid routines from the very beginning^.  Once JB arrived, I was thrilled when he seemed to fall right into a 3 hour schedule so brilliantly.  I carted around my Itzbeen timer, took great pleasure in jotting down times and calculating averages, and patted myself on the back for such great parent-directed feeding.  JB gained about 2 ounces a day for the first 6 weeks, so I felt we were doing something right.

Then JB decided that eating was for the birds - reflux made it no fun for him!  We had days (and then weeks) when I could barely get the child to take a feeding.  I no longer cared about when he was eating - I just wanted him to eat!  If that meant offering him up a snack each and every time he seemed hungry, I was okay with that.  I celebrated when I could get him to nurse for even 5 minutes, even if that was 20 times a day.

Fast forward to present, where we're managing the reflux and milk intolerance and have a happy little eater again. However, my hungry hippo now thinks that he should eat at least every 2 hours.  He's also back to eating a couple of times in the middle of the night.  I can no longer blame growth spurts - it's been long enough now that it's his new routine!

This is where I start to get crazy. Part of me (well, plus James, my better half) wants to say "hey, at least he's doing better!"  Even if it's a newborn-ish schedule and a constant feeding/napping cycle (we'll get to sleeping in a sec), he seems to be consistent.  Win, right?  Then I analyze his days, go back to my books and the blogs, read about how he should be transitioning up to a 4 hour schedule (not back to a 2 hour), and I get all crazy again.

Part of the problem is his sleeping, my other obsession right now.  Homeslice has transitioned to a habitual cat napper, rarely able to sleep more than 30 or 45 minutes.  If you google this it's pretty common, although most sites talk about how to work through it (convincing me it's something we need to correct.)  But we can't, no matter what we try!!  The nanny is quite proud that she can sometimes keep him sleeping for a few hours in his vibrating bouncy while she pats him continually during the nap.  Obviously not a habit I think we can realistically continue (although that type of nap environment sounds pretty heavenly, doesn't it?)

So these cat naps lead him to a very short eat/wake/sleep cycle, and mean he wakes up grumpy, tired, but hungry and wanting to eat. The occasional three hour marathon naps also throw us for a loop.  It is hard to anticipate meal times (important for me as his food source) and bed times, as his schedule fluctuates every day based on if we can get him to actually sleep. Lastly, I think it may impact the fact he doesn't sleep that well at night, no matter what we try.

Which leads me to the third S: swaddling.  We've always swaddled from the beginning, as it definitely calmed JB and helped him rest.  As we near 4 months, a few things have happened:  1) he outgrew all his swaddle sacks and blankets; 2) he's starting to roll onto his side at night, and I think it's a matter of time before he winds up on his belly; 3) he has found his hands and realizes sucking his thumb is quite comforting; and 4) I no longer think swaddling helps extend his sleep time.  For all these reasons, and the fact that we're already in a total sleep regression anyway, we kicked the swaddle habit this week.  Actually, this has been so much less traumatic than I had feared.   It didn't seem to impact his schedule routine at all.  This is the positive S out of the three!

Finally!  I got this thumb sucking down!

So that's where I am - really tired, totally confused, and in a constant battle between stressed out Type-A Jennie and (the less vocal) Go-with-the-Flow Jennie who is like "whatevs, he'll get there, who needs sleep or a schedule?"  Most all my friends and family would like to see more of the latter Jennie, or wish I would just listen to them when they tell me he's still young, this is not a big deal, it's common, stop being a crazy person, etc.  And everyone is probably right...but why can't I just go with it!?*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

^ I still really believe these books represent an ideal state, which is why I keep going back to them (even if it makes me a crazy person).  My problems have not been in the actual theory, but in the more difficult implementation.   I know everyone has their thoughts on these book and the approach, but, honestly, I still like it and wish it would/will work for us!  

* Meant to be a rhetorical question, although I'm pretty sure the correct answer is "because you're a lunatic Type A first time parent, that's why".    :)

Our MLK Day Date

Because of his powerful message and legacy, I wholeheartedly support a day that honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his impact on this country.  And, I'm also glad it means we have a holiday in January.

Since I had the day off AND childcare for the day, I informed James last week to pencil me in for a little Day Date.  (Poor James still had to work - too much exciting stuff happening with GovStrive to slack for even a day!)  I really enjoy daytime dates because 1) I'm not as sleepy, and 2) they seem so novel when you're both somewhat workaholics.

Since I knew I had a very small window of time with James, I had to line up something very exciting and entertaining.  We tossed around the idea of a movie, but, seriously, I'm way too sleep deprived. Why shell out $30 when we can nap at home for free, ya know?  A nice restaurant is pretty much off the table right now since I can't eat dairy.  Although I'm totally committed to this for the sake of JB's tummy, I'm currently having horrendous cravings for something creamy and buttery and cheesy.  I don't know if I can be trusted...

Fortunately for both of us, I remembered something that I've been dying to try - FOOT MASSAGES!  My stylist has been bragging about a place up on Buford Highway for years, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to try it.  For those of you not familiar with Atlanta, the Buford Highway area is either completely sketchy or completely wonderful, depending on your sense of adventure and taste for ethnic food.  We head that way quite a bit to eat and to grocery shop at the international markets, so you can tell we fall in that latter camp.  James was a little leery when I suggested a foot massage in the same shopping center where one can get Halal meat, buy nail salon supplies, and prepare their taxes, but curious enough that he went for it.

As expected on Buford Highway, the place was just a tiny bit suspicious from the outside. Well and maybe the inside too (dark with rows of fluffy chaise loungers lined up next to each other).  But who could argue with the price - $25 for an entire hour!!  James and I didn't hesitate one bit to curl up in their (hopefully clean) chairs and prepare to be pampered.

First they soak your feet, then they start to work on your toes, heels, insteps, and ankles.  Some lower leg work and calf massages follow.

Softening up those tootsies

Loosening up those calves

Just in case you're not 100% drowsy during all of this, they provide free entertainment.  Because nothing says "relaxation" like watching an SVU episode.

Crack the Case, Olivia!

I was so proud of my husband - only MINIMAL email checking during the whole experience.

"One hour" is a little misleading because they only spend 45 minutes on your feet.  The other time is spent on a head/neck massage, which, frankly, I could do without.  Why, you ask? First, I have a sensitive scalp and hate people pulling on my hair.  Second, I had just spent 20 minutes drying my hair with a round brush and everything. As soon as he put his greased up hands on my temples I thought "well I sure as heck can't go until Thursday without washing my hair now..."  That's certainly not relaxing. But then he started massaging my ears and I forgot about everything else.  Next time I'll tell them to keep it to the feet, ears and NO MORE.

After the foot massage, I asked James if he had time for Pho - to which he replied with his favorite joke, "pho sure!" (HAHA/eye roll.)  Despite the fact there must be 50 Vietnamese places on Buford Hwy, we went to the same one we always do.

Formally known as Pho 79.  Now it's all fancy, schmancy

James surprised me after a couple more hours of work calls by treating me to one more little date - a yogurt shop.  Now, before you think he was taunting me with some fro yo, don't feel too bad because I tore into one of their vegan cookies as if it were covered in butter and cheese.  (Didn't even miss the dairy it was so darn good!)

The Sassers - Full and Relaxed

I couldn't think of a better way to spend my holiday than with my honey on a Day Date.

Except maybe a family walk with the other two members of our crew, which we also did later that evening.

Love my kiddos

It was really a great day.  Lots of love.  Lots of relaxing.  Can we repeat MLK day next Monday??

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

My Poor Little Pace Dog

My Atlanta Half marathon training is going well, thank goodness! I was a little worried that my body would not enjoy my progressively longer runs after a year of walks.  I am up to 16 miles a week, with a 6 mile long run.  One more week at 6 miles, then I move up to 7.  Historically, that is always my hardest one mile leap - I don't know why, but 7 always seems (and feels) so much harder than 6. Then every mile after 7 doesn't really feel like that big of a deal. Weird.

My running partner, however, is less than enthused about our long Sunday runs up and down Peachtree.  When I get out the orange running leash, she will usually sneak off to her crate.  Enda is a vizsla, for crying out loud - one of the best long distance running breeds out there!!  A little lazy when it comes to structured exercise (might take after her Daddy on that one...) :)

Just a quick jog?  I don't trust you, Mom...

I can't tell if she's distracted, nervous, or just tired of running, but she turns into the worse pace dog ever on our longer runs. On the way out, I practically drag her behind me.  It's like running with a dang headwind, regardless of the weather.  She'd keep us at 15 minute miles if she could.  (Well, or just turn us around to head home if she had her preference.)

Then, once we start to run back, girlfriend turns part Jamaican and tries for 7 minute splits. If I start to hang back (to maintain our reasonable 9:30 pace) she begins to drag me along. Now, I don't let her do this because 1) she needs to remember to heel to the alpha dog (ie. me), and, 2) I have protect her from the morons who forget to look right when turning onto Peachtree.  Needless to say, it's a little bit of a battle for a few miles of our run.

Quit slacking, Mom!

Finally at around mile 4 or 5, she decides that maybe she does enjoy running and will trot along my side the rest of the route. But by that point, it's too late - I am a little annoyed with my pace dog and vowing not to take her with me again.  

Worst pace dog ever

Of course I will, though, because how can you not love that face. She keeps me company and encourages me to keep up the running. (Plus, dragging her along for an hour will usually get her crazies out for at least a day or two.  Totally worth it!!)

(Just in case people believe this is animal cruelty, please note that our vet says she can easily run up to 10 miles with good training. We were very careful to not start her running until after her first birthday, and have increased her mileage gradually.  Her breed has incredible speed and stamina.  In fact, after running 6 miles today, she then proceeded to run 15mph crazy eights in our backyard! 

Ah, Home Ownership...

This:

+ (plus)

This:

= (equals)

THIS: 

:(

Unfortunately, we just found out yesterday that the super cold temps last week caused a teeny tiny crack in an outdoor pipe - resulting in a helluva lot of water in one of our downstairs rooms.  We had to throw out the pad, suck up gallons of water, and cross our fingers we can salvage the carpet.  You can see we are employing some highly sophisticated maneuvers to dry it out. 

The room is actually a small space off the guest room, but we use it for exercise videos and as my craft room. I think we can all agree that this is a very important room to me, and we need it back in order (plus not smelly or moldy) ASAP!

Ah, home ownership.  Not for the faint of heart...

Shaking Things Up!

Maybe it's just the normal case of the Januarys, but we were very ambitious this weekend.  Lots of bold plays and changes to kick off 2014.

It all started on Friday evening during my hair appointment, when I decided I needed something different.  James was very clear that I was not to come home with a "mom cut", but that was the only advice I got from him. After chatting with my stylist, we decided some red low lights would be fun.  And they are!!

Do Reds have more fun?

Then, on Saturday, we realized that our teeny tiny newborn is, well, not really a newborn anymore! Where does the time go??  We decided to get out the Bumbo since JB tries to sit up in your lap. He's not quite ready, but he will be soon.

What the....

While we were at it, the decision was made to convert his stroller from the newborn bassinet to the semi-reclined seat.  I about died when I saw him in it - he looked so big!! And then James went and found his hospital hat in the bassinet.  Major emotional break down by Mama.  Stop growing up so fast, James Benjamin!!

I don't trust these two clowns...

Since JB was strapped in to his new big boy stroller, we took advantage of the crazy sunny weather (after a torrential downpour that morning) to stroll the neighborhood.  I remembered that our neighborhood wine shop had sent out an email about a free tasting in the afternoon, so we conveniently strolled that direction to try out some reds.  (All French, so James was not too pleased.)

Move to Sunday, when we got REALLY bold and went to church.  Now, confession, we have not been to our church since JB was born. (We did go to church several times in Waco, but with my family there were multiple reinforcements to make us feel better). To say we were nervous was an understatement.  JB is quite a fussy little rascal, and can go from happy to full on screams in a matter of seconds (way quicker than we could escape a pew!) Just trying to get prepared and out of the house was stressful. Way too many foul words were said that morning for a Sunday (and on the way to church, for crying out loud), but we managed to get out of the car right when little JB fell asleep. And he proceeded to sleep through the entire service.  Yea! It was a great sermon, wonderful to see our church family, and I think we have a little more confidence for future Sundays.  Perhaps we will try the nursery soon, although I worry more about the poor nursery workers than JB.)  :)

Lastly, Sunday night James shocked me at a dinner party by trying - and liking - Malaysian food.  When I heard the menu our friends were preparing, I was a bit nervous about the ole hubby.  Even my adventurous palate is a little iffy on Malaysian, but it ended up being delicious.  

Look at the Sassers, shaking things up this January.  As people who hate change (me), don't do well through transitions (me), don't do anything spontaneous (me again), and don't eat ethnic things (that one is James), we surprised even ourselves this weekend!

Favorite Finds at Trader Joe's

With the little guy and all (plus the extremely cold, yucky weather), we're not getting out much these days.  It means very little to post about without boring the pants off everyone.  

One place I do go to quite regularly - TRADER JOE'S.  There is a TJ's only 2 miles from our house, and I had been neglecting it for far too long.  It's now a little escape for me, where I can spend oodles of time wandering the aisles and tasting everything they have out for samples.  It's where I've been getting my kicks lately while James and JB have their guy time back at the house.  

For our sibling Christmas gift exchange, I drew my Should-be-Sister-in-Law's name.  (This is how I choose to refer to Shawntel, because it's more appropriate than "brother's girlfriend".  My brother doesn't read the blog, so I can get away with this...)  Because she has everything, I had a hard time coming up with something fun.  Then I remembered what they don't have in Waco, Texas* - TRADER JOE'S!  This sparked my fun idea for a gift: a basket I called "Jennie's Favorite Finds at Trader Joe's"

(*Note: I know most of my Texas friends and family don't have Trader Joe's, but you'll get zero sympathy from me about this.  You have HEB and Central Market, so please consider yourselves the luckiest grocery shoppers on the planet and quit your whining about the fact you can't go to TJ's.)  :)

In case you are one of the folks who has a Trader Joe's in your town, I thought I would share with you what I put in her gift basket (and what always winds up in my reusable grocery bag).

1. Lavendar Salt Scrub.  It took me a while to include the household and personal items aisle on my normal path, but I'm glad I did.  I love this scrub!  It has a great scent, feels wonderful, and is nourishing enough I don't even use lotion on my dry, winter skin.  It's also very affordable, at around $5 a pop.  The ingredient list is very short, without chemicals, parabens, or other stuff we're supposed to be worried about now.  

2. Charles Shaw Red Wine.  "Two Buck Chuck", everyone knows about this great stuff.   This was their upscale table wine so I paid around $3.95.  A splurge!

3. TJ's Reusable Bag. The Atlanta one is particularly festive, with lots of peaches and bright colors. I had to include one of these bad boys.  (Side note: I always bring my own bag and get to put a raffle ticket in the "thanks for being a friend of the environment" pot.  However, I have never won. Boooo!)

4. Dark Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels.  As soon as I get home, I cut off the top part so that I can, first, have easier access to the pretzels, and, second, remove the serving size from my view.  This way, I can fool myself into thinking that one package = one serving (because that's usually how quickly I choose to consume them.)  These. Are. Fantastic.

5. Jacques' (get it?) French Liquid Soap.  It's made with orange blossom honey (which has antibacterial properties) and feels so great on the hands!  Smells good, too.  It's quickly replacing all the Meyer's soap bottles in our house.

6. TJ's Omega Trek Mix.  I love this cranberry and nut mixture, plus the fact that it comes in single serving packages that I throw in my purse or the car.  Since Shawntel goes to bootcamp at 5AM (God bless her), I thought these would be perfect.

7. Variety Mustard Pack.  This was a fairly recent buy for me, but I am loving the different mustards!  The basil one is my favorite, and has a little pesto flavor kick.  I don't know why, but we have approximately 10 different types of mustard in our fridge right now.  I can't stand French's yellow mustard (James' personal favorite), but the upscale mustards are more to my liking (read, I'm a food snob.)

8. TJ's  Seasoning Mixes.  I love the fact there are built in grinders so I can feel all fancy when I'm cooking. And, the fact that these have whole spices that you only grind up when you're putting in/on your food - genius!  The flavor is intense! 

All this stuff, and can you believe that I stayed within our $30 gift limit?  Another reason I love Trader Joe's!  If you have one near you, may I suggest you take my word on these above items and go shopping?  Enjoy!  

I'm a Working Mama

This week I officially became a full-time working mother. And you know what, it was not nearly as scary or difficult as I thought it would be.

I actually worked several full days in December, just not every day.  This meant that while working I could always think in the back of my mind "tomorrow I get to spend the whole day with my baby, yea!"  This certainly helped me ease back in to work, although it introduced a lot of anxiety about how I would handle future Mondays when I thought "not till Saturday do I get to spend the whole day with my baby, boo!"  I spent the holidays crying and worrying about what was to come.  Also questioning (and re-questioning) everything I've ever thought or felt about being a mother and having a career.  Crazy town.

As I said, fortunately this first week has gone much better than I anticipated. First, I became much more strict about an early morning routine that allows me some special time with little JB before work.  (I am not an early riser so I got used to letting us both sleep till whenever during my maternity leave.)   We wake up early to nurse, play, and then I put him down for his first morning catnap.  It makes me feel less like I'm "handing him over" to the nanny.

Second, our nanny is demonstrating to me that she is gentle, patient, and loving with our son - even when he's a rascal and fights her all day long about the bottle, naps, etc.  Since I work from upstairs, I catch glimpses of him throughout the day and know that he is well cared for.  It's a very good situation. (As much as I want to go down and hug/kiss him, I try not to interfere right now so that he can get used to and bond with the nanny.  He's a teeny bit of a Mama's boy, so hearing my voice or seeing my face can lead to a meltdown!)

Lastly, I remember how much I love my job.  I have a great team, work within a great organization, and enjoy the work that I do.  The few times this week I've started to get misty-eyed about missing JB, I'm quickly distracted with an email or conference call that brings me back to the task at hand.  Most people that I work with are parents, and full of advice, compassion, and a good dose of reality (e.g. "no, your baby won't forget that you're his mother") whenever I need to hear it.

There are times when I am still very sad, but I think it's more to do with general nostalgia than actual dissatisfaction with being a working mom.  My 12 weeks with the little guy while on maternity were so wonderful!  Being able to tend to him all day long and watch him grow so much in the first three months was incredibly special to me.  Thinking back on that unlimited time with him every day - and knowing it's over - is what makes me sad.  Remembering the tender moments is what brings a little tear to my eye.  My most special memories: shushing and swaying him until he relaxed and drifted to sleep for a nap; nursing him 8 - 12 times a day (he's a very hungry hippo); going for walks in the afternoon with his furry sister in tow; not rushing through errands but leisurely pushing JB in his stroller through shops or appointments; hanging in PJs till 10AM while watching the Today show with a sleeping baby in my arms; attending our post-natal yoga series together (sometimes staying 3 hours to chat with other moms and babies); working (although not succeeding) at getting on a schedule; those first smiles after so many weeks of tears... it was a beautiful time, and I'm sad that it's come to an end.

Truth be told, all of these great memories for me is probably why he's crying for his mama all day and fighting the bottle with every ounce of his being!  Maybe he's feeling a little nostalgic, too.  :)  And I'm trying to stop the dramatic "it's all over!" from distracting me from the fact that, no, our time together is not over - it's just on a different schedule than before!

I know that my working does a lot of good for both of us, as we both continue to grow and transition into this new normal.  We'll get there!

A difficult transition?  I've got this, Mom!

Bottle Bootcamp 2014

Well, I can successfully report out that all three of us have lived to tell about Bottle Bootcamp 2014: our attempts to get little JB to take - perhaps even enjoy? - a bottle.  WHEW, we have a stubborn little guy on our hands!

Let me back up and explain why we even had to do Bottle Bootcamp.  If you remember from one of my early updates, I mentioned that JB took his first bottle like a champ at Week 2.  We proceeded to give him a bottle a day, and he proceeded to not be bothered how he got his milk (just as long as someone was feeding him on a regular, frequent schedule).  Then we hit Week 5, when all hell broke loose, and JB decided to go on a nursing strike and scream bloody murder when I tried to feed him.  Cue MAJOR FREAK OUT by Mama, removal of all bottles from his sight, lots of calls with the lactation consultant, and fears that my little newborn was already weaning.  The lactation consultants suggested he had nipple confusion^, and that with a lot of skin-to-skin bonding and on-demand breastfeeding I could get him right back on the boob.

It wasn't until a week later when another lactation consultant/RN said, "I think this poor baby has reflux".  Sure enough, he wasn't weaning - he was in pain!  We got confirmation from our pediatrician, who sent me home with some prescriptions and a warning that we should get those bottles back out before he forgot that he liked them.

But it was too late.

Not only did he forget that he liked them, he decided that he hated them.  We tried everything that they advise on the subject, from different bottles, to different people feeding him, to feeding him with a piece of my clothing around the bottle, etc.  Our sweet friends all brought over their favorite bottle types in hopes it would trigger a positive response.  But it progressively got worse and worse until he just wouldn't take one sip from anything.  Oh, and would scream like a wild banshee if someone even tried.

Stop trying to force bottles on me, you clowns.

Because I go back to work full time today, we decided that we should get him on the bottle before we turn him over to our sweet nanny.  We like this lady and really don't want her to quit because our screaming youngin' fights her each and every feeding!

Thus, Bottle Bootcamp 2014 took place this weekend.  Only bottles for 48 hours.  Mama was closed up for business (well, to the little guy at least - my pump and I were constant companions), and Daddy was armed with his nerves of steel.

First bottle, WAAAAAAAH.  James got maybe an ounce in him before the little guy just passed out from pure exhaustion.  Second bottle came from me, and....what do you know...HE ATE THE ENTIRE THING!  The rest of our weekend was pretty much a mixture of JB liking his bottle* and JB putting up a fight before reluctantly taking his bottle. (Only a few times did he say "No Way, Jose" and skip a meal.)

Why are you doing this to me!?

Whatevs, you win.

Of course that little heartbreaker would whine and try to bury his face in my chest every time I held him.  I resisted, of course, but imagine I'll need to discuss this with my therapist for years before I'm over the trauma of it all.

Based on the fact that our child did not starve AND there were not as many tears from JB (or Mama) as anticipated, I declare Bottle Bootcamp 2014** a success!  What's more, he still took a bottle from the nanny (on the second attempt), even after I nursed him this morning.   Here's hoping this positive trend continues - Yea!

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^ I know nipple confusion is a real thing and make no claims to have a lot of lactation expertise. However, I feel like experts should warn about reverse nipple confusion, too!

* JB decided that the Born Free is the most tolerable bottle. Not a problem, of course, except for the fact we only have 2 of those, amongst the 45 other bottles in the drawer.  But I'm not complaining too much...

** Our goal is that there will be no Bottle Bootcamp 2015, 2017, etc.  Next baby(ies) will get a bottle every single day, starting at Week 2 - before they get out of that go-with-the-flow newborn phase and realize they have strong opinions about such things.